And We Fall
by ThisSentenceIsALie
Summary: "The war isn't over," she whispered quietly, looking up from underneath her short dark eyelashes. "What?" The Giant War has to be over. Terra is asleep. End of story. "It is. It has to be." She let out a short laugh, "No. It doesn't." DISCONTINUED
1. And we Fight

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or HoO**

* * *

_Note to Reader- All events in this story actually happened. I will be narrating with Kai and Dan throwing in annoying asides from time to time. This recording will self destruct as soon as you finish the audio/book so it doesn't get into the wrong hands. Keep this information to yourself at all costs, who knows, this could save your life..._

_**UNUM**_

I knew I couldn't keep the giant occupied for long. It wasn't my fault I- okay, it probably was.

But when I saw Gwen charging some nasty dude called Porphyrion or something [for the last time! His name was _not_ Porpoise Face!], my reflexes kicked in [If you don't shut up, Kai, my reflexes will kick _you_]. By the time my mind caught up with my body, I was facing the Green-Giant-Gone-Bad and Gwen was nowhere to be seen.

The Incredible Hulk was at least forty feet tall with hair the color of summer leaves, he'd braided axes, spears, shields and knives into it (a bold fashion statement if you ask me). The Green Goblin was humanoid from the waist up, his skin was lime green and his legs were snakelike. He was clad in bronze armor, I would have a tough time piercing that. My trident trembled as I raised it to his chest (read knee), the prongs glittered with ingrained monster dust.

"Excellent!" He boomed, voice echoing across the battlefield. Nobody looked to look, if they did they would be killed, "Who are you, little mortal? You'll be barely a mouthful!"

His mockery of my height made me see red, "I am the daughter of Triton! Though I haven't done anything worth noting [_I thought we left the Sushi Fiasco behind us_], I will earn a place in history by having your head nailed on my wall!" I know, disgusting right? I wasn't exactly thinking straight and I had copied a speech from my favorite book in the vain hope that it would scare him off. Needless to say, it didn't.

The Giant King laughed, "This will be David versus the mighty Goliath!"

"Apparently you've forgotten how that one turned out."

The idea of charging a forty foot immortal with thousands of years training was so ridiculous, even the giant was surprised. I launched an attack on his right snake (foot?) and thrust my weapon down, it cut through his sandles but bounced harmlessly off the skin. I cursed violently under my breath, my shoulder felt dislocated. I drew my _pugio_, I could no longer wield the trident.

"Their armor is weak at the neck!" Some unknown demigod screamed at me, "Aim for th-"

The neck? How was I going to reach the neck? It didn't matter, because at that moment I was swept off my feet by a spear the size of a telephone pole. I landed unceremoniously on my backside, and the point of a weapon was dangling over me.

"Any last words, sea brat?"

I was frozen in panic, underneath my armor, my purple shirt stuck to my back. I didn't want to die. All that was going through my head was, _Dad, please help! Dad, help!_ But somehow, I summoned enough courage to choke out, "Green is not your color." Not the best comeback but, hey, life or death situation here.

The spear came down. [Hah! You two are sweating!]

It never hit me, the spear was pushed away from my chest and it buried itself in the dirt. I looked up seeing the same gray eyes that I had. My dad saved my life, he's awesome like that.

Dad had grown to half the size of Porphyrion (approximately 3½ mes, just under an Enceladus and around the size of a house), but he was still holding his own. I had to rejoin the fight otherwise dad would be killed [Yes Kat, I realize he's a god _now_! Oh, shut up, I panicked!].

My left arm hung limply at my side, my right was still gripping the _pugio_, the leather grip of the knife was familiar and worn in my hand. Dad was keeping the Giant occupied, giving me an opportunity to strike from the side. But I was dead on my feet, the only thing keeping me fighting was my will to live.

Someone put a hand on my shoulder, I jumped and thrust the _pugio_ behind me. It clanged off metal.

"Calm down," it was my best friend, Katana Hill, her dark red hair was still in its tight braid, she'd lost her armor at some point. "Get to the infirmary, you can't fight like that."

Behind Kat was her father, Lord Mars. Two unknown _Graeci_ were covering them. "But you've already taken down Mimas," I gasped for air, Kat didn't even seem to be sweating. "I'm fighting."

Kat wasn't fazed, one of the demigods came forward, a Greek son of Apollo going by the orange shirt and gold hair. He put a hand to the joint and mumbled something incoherent, my shoulder popped back into place with a sickening crack. There was a flash of intense pain, but it faded to a dull throb relatively quickly. The other demigod crouched over us protectively, Lord Mars was attacking Porphyrion, he seemed to be dancing around the giant's strikes. Dad was taking a breather, he had lost his signature horn. It was a shame because, according to the myths, the sound of it would make all the giants run. The two _Graeci_ joined the main battle. I hoped I would see them again.

Both sides, monsters and demigods alike, had cleared a large circle for the fight. Kat ran in to help her father, I tried to grab her wrist, but I missed by inches. She was going to get herself killed. I did the only sensible thing.

I followed her.

And immediately took a blow to the head.

* * *

I woke up in the medical tent. The sounds of battle were still audible outside, but it was much quieter. The Second Giant War must be coming to a close. For good or for ill.

Suddenly, after a couple of minutes of deafening silence, there was a roar from outside. It sounded like a monster, but it was only after I'd rolled out of the cot and grabbed a scalpel, that I realized that it was no monster. It was people. That means-

We'd won. For some reason, I wasn't as happy as I should have been.

Kat decided that it was the best time to stumble through the tent flap. She had an arrow through her calf and her clothes were covered in golden dust and crimson blood. She also bore traces of mud and soot, but her grin was threatening to split her face.

"It's over!" She laughed, dancing around the medical cots while I looked at her with an eyebrow raised. I folded my arms and tapped my foot, ignoring my thundering headache. She was even scarier when she was happy than when she was angry.

"It's over?" I questioned, "What happened to Dirt Face?"

Kat's face darkened and her smile faded. The room seemed to darken, but it was my imagination, "Terra needed the blood of a female and male demigod. Any weaker and the blood would poison her, I guess. A legacy from the Fourth Cohort sacrificed himself."

"What was their name?"

"I don't know," She answered quietly. We stood solemnly for a moment, until I wobbled. Kat leaped forwards and caught me by my arm, but she'd underestimated her injury. She stumbled and collapsed on me, knocking me off my feet. I could feel my heart beating out of my chest, I was hyperventilating. It would have been the best moment of my life if we hadn't just lost friends to war.

Footsteps sounded, the clanking of metal grew closer. Me and Kat froze as the Apollo kid from earlier looked into the tent, I was relieved to see that he was still alive. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before choking out, "Am I interrupting something?"

Kat rolled off me, "Gods no! Help me up, _Graecus_," she ordered. I couldn't help but feel a little twang of pain at that, and it wasn't the headache. "My leg is killing me."

"I have a name you know," the Apollo kid muttered, whilst hauling up the daughter of Mars. "Kai. Kai Davis." He dragged Kat off to a cot, when a gold-eyed boy who looked like Kai came into the room. He seemed to be the Greek authority as when he motioned for Kai to step aside, he moved, albeit grudgingly.

"Hey?" I asked, I could feel my eyes blackening from light gray to flint, my eyebrows knitted together, "how many of us di- are go- you know?"

Kai looked at me and shrugged, "You'd have to ask the di Angelo kid." He moved over to me and pressed a hand against my forehead. I could feel the pain leaving slowly, like water through a dam. Kai slumped slightly. I knew he shouldn't have used his energy to fix a headache, but I was grateful all the same.

It was then that people started piling into the medical tent, people were leaning on each other, a blonde haired girl was lying still on a stretcher, a boy who was almost identical to her was bent over her. I recognized the girl from the group that fired on our city, she was covered in burns and a knife was sticking out of her chest. I turned away, finding an interesting pattern in the wall to study. There were screams of pain and loss that I couldn't block out, Kai was gravitating toward a group of fallen kids who must be his siblings.

I was choking, a sense of claustrophobia overtook me. I had to get out! Why did I live? Would my Cohort be crying if I had died? Would _Kat_ be crying? I ran out of the tent, dodging legionaries and Greeks in slow motion. It was a mistake, I had run into a graveyard. Was there anywhere to run to?

The battlefield was littered with the injured and dead. Everything was coated in a thick layer of golden dust, shadows lingered in the corners of my vision. A boy in black was standing over the bodies, whispering and closing their eyes. A girl in a bandana gripped his arm and pulled him away. Praetor Reyna was to one side, observing the carnage with cool indifference, her mouth set in a hard line. But on the inside she would be screaming. I knew that because Praetor Jackson was one of the fallen.

I saw my centurions among the living. They were gripping each-other's hands. They nodded briefly at me. I felt detached from my body, like I was watching myself running through the corpses, I had to find my Cohort. Who had lived?

Not enough. I vaguely sensed someone pulling me away. One of my tears rolled down my face, I angrily wiped it away before joining my Cohort to answer roll-call.

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter, I sure enjoyed writing it. I know that OC's can be a pain in the backside but I want to improve writing my own characters. What do you think of Chris (our narrator)? Kat and Kai? What about the writing style?**

**Tell me what you think, it'll only take a minute.**


	2. And we Eavesdrop

**Thanks to Juliette36, check out her story, Salvation.**

**Enjoy the chapter.**

_**DUOBUS**_

I was lying in one of the bunk-beds in the Second Cohort barracks. That afternoon, the gods had given gifts to the Seven, completely forgetting about the other demigods who risked and lost their lives for them. Only the Seven (or some of the Seven) were important enough to be acknowledged. Praetor Reyna didn't get anything and she had been completely abandoned by Grace and Jackson.

The only good thing that came out of the War was that my father risked his neck for a minute of time with me, I was still buzzing from when he said he was proud of me. Well, that and the two new friends I had.

Kai was very outgoing, being a son of Apollo, it went with the territory. He'd lost all of his sibling to the War apart from an overbearing older brother. When he was happy, his sky blue eyes would glow. He was very flirtatious, he'd tried to lighten everyone's moods with a few perverted comments [see, at least I didn't call you, and I quote, 'a loud-mouthed bastard who doesn't know when to shut the Pluto up']. It didn't go down well, so he'd stopped.

There was a son of Minerva [sorry. Your mom is _Athena_, happy?], I still couldn't understand how he had been born. Brain children or not, it was scandalous, a maiden goddess having a cabin full of children. Daniel Washington, or Dan to us, was very tall and lean and always putting his foot in his mouth. It was amusing to everyone, apart from Dan who didn't understand why everyone was laughing. The Greeks were staying in the Barracks until repairs to their Camp were done.

I heard a dull thump as someone hit the ground, I could recognize that cherry red hair anywhere. Kat glanced around before slipping silently out of the room. I didn't think, I just followed.

The hallway was dark, Kat was shining a flashlight that gave off just enough light to see. She stopped suddenly, and shone the light in my face. It was dim, but I was still blinking spots out of my eyes.

"Chris? What the Pluto do you call _this_?" She gestured at nothing in particular, her brown eyes gleamed gold in the light. I knew what she meant; what was I doing up this late?

I folded my arms defensively, I was seeing pink and yellow splotches of light, "The last time Christina investigates at night? What are you _doing_? You know what happens if you're out after curfew!"

Kat sighed and put her finger to her lips, "Follow me." She started creeping along the corridor, I trailed several paces behind. I had no idea why I followed, since the penalty for breaking curfew was a three months of non-stop community service. Funnily enough, there had been no rule-breaking since that punishment was introduced.

I was led through the familiar wooden corridors of my barracks. Kat dragged me into the shadows as a patrolling centurion turned the corner ahead. He must have seen us! But to my surprise the centurion walked past our corridor like nothing was wrong. Unobservant moron.

Kat let out a short sigh of relief before dragging [she _was _dragging me and it _hurt_. A lot] me back down the passage. I briefly wondered why I was following her in the first place, I could just go back to sleep and forget this happened. But I wasn't that sort of person, my nature made it near impossible to abandon my friend to the horror of _chariot washing_.

"Where are we going?" I hissed, picking at my pajama shirt sleeve.

Kat froze, as if expecting someone to pop out of the walls and put us on no pay whilst whipping us with a squid... or something. "The war isn't over," she whispered quietly, looking up underneath her short dark eyelashes.

"What?" The Giant War has to be over. Terra is asleep. End of story. "It is. It has to be."

She let out a short laugh, "No. It doesn't."

"You're wrong!" I protested.

Kat slapped a hand over my mouth, I resisted the urge to lick it, "First rule, I'm never wrong. Second rule, if I'm wrong, look back to the first rule. I'm the daughter of Mars! Of course I know when a war is over!"

This time, I really did lick her hand. She recoiled in disgust and scowled at me. "Where are we going?"

"To the Praetors. The Greeks aren't the smartest bunch, all I had to do was smile at the fire elf and, lo and behold, I know about a 'secret' meeting. Now come on."

I grabbed her shoulder, uncalled for jealousy rose in my chest, "You flirted with that _traitor_?"

"He's cute, what can I do?" Kat shook my hand off her effortlessly.

"You could stick something sharp and pointy into that _enemy of Rome_," I suggested [mind out of the gutter, Kai].

Kat and I hovered outside of the imposing double doors that let to the Senate House. I absent-mindedly traced the ornate decoration. Horatius, Hercules, Jupiter, every single 'mythological' figure was carved into the white marble. I was reaching a particularly gory battle scene when Kat tapped my shoulder, signaling that the meeting inside was reaching a critical point.

I pressed my ear to the door, the voices on the other side were muffled, but audible. At a guess, I would say that the Roman Senate and the Greek cabin leaders were present. A quiet male voice spoke up, "Well, that seems... enterprising."

I could almost hear the next person roll his eyes, "When Neeks says 'enterprising' he means 'morally deficient'." The boy's voice was low and melodic, I probably would have found him attractive if I swung that way.

The first voice replied halfheartedly, "I definitely mean enterprising. If I'd meant 'morally deficient', I would say, 'now that's something I would have done'. Anyway, this Titan dude seems smart enough."

"Quiet, Ambassador," Praetor Reyna's tones cut through the atmosphere like a knife through butter [I'd like to see _you_ come up with a better metaphor]. Kat shivered beside me, the night was cold and the breeze wasn't helping. I took off my lilac dressing gown and draped it over her shoulders, leaving me in only a pink t-shirt and sweats. Kat smiled at me. And I smiled back.

"Thanks," she breathed. We turned back to the door, ears against the crack.

"-is going to destroy us all?"

But who? That was my question. But 'how' might be better to ask.

"Our information states otherwise. He doesn't _want_ to kill us. He just wants revenge against the gods, and how better to do that that kill their children? The gods _do _care about us, you know, they just have a funny way of showing it," that was the superior but kindly tones of Daniel's older brother.

The next voices were unknown to me. "Funny way of showing it? They completely ignore us!"

"It's for the best."

"Like Hades it is!"

"Silence!" Praetor Reyna called, "The Senate has proposed a Quest. We need volunteers, Centurions and Cabin Leaders, three of you must go. We need the best for this mission."

"Excuse me, Praetor, but we appear to have, for lack of a better word, visitors."

Pluto's pauldrons [at least I'm stealthier than you two]! I was about to drag Kat away, when the marble doors opened.

I wonder how ridiculous we must have looked. A scowling daughter of Mars, with a lilac dressing gown draped over her shoulders like a cape. And me, brown hair messed up and tangled, gray eyes bleary with sleep and one arm raised awkwardly in greeting. We must of made quite a pair.

Kat glared holes into the people in the Senate House. Several demigods looked away, only a few were able to hold her gaze.

Praetor Reyna's dark eyebrows rose into her hairline. "How were you not seen?"

_Well, Praetor, to answer your question, most of the night patrol had ditched their shift. _I didn't dare voice my thoughts, but I think Praetor Reyna knew what I was thinking.

She continued swiftly, "No matter. How much did you hear?"

"Who wants to kill us?" Kat blurted out. I would have face-palmed were we not in the presence of a highly volatile cocktail of Senators and Lars. "I mean, we've just won two wars, we deserve a break!"

Praetor Reyna smoothed back her hair, it was unnecessary considering that it was in a tight braid, "We do, but what you don't realize is that it is the perfect time to strike us," her face morphed into a glower. "Report to Terminus at six o'clock tomorrow, I'm sure he can find a job for each of you."

My jaw dropped open at what spilled from my mouth next, "Or we could find this Titan you were on about." I could have slapped myself, I almost did. Kat looked at me like I was insane, which in a way, I was.

"No, you won't," one of the Senators said, Larry, I thought his name was. "For one, you are not above the rank of Centurion. Second, you have just broken several rules by coming here. You won't be leaving New Rome in a while."

Praetors Reyna and Frank and the Ambassador eyed Kat and I. "_I_ was only promoted because it was necessary for the Alaska quest. Also, the Greeks go on quests all the time, sometimes without _any_ training," Praetor Frank pointed out. Some of the Senators looked disgusted, whilst the Greeks looked at their feet, "and from what I've seen, these two are more than capable of defending themselves."

"Damn straight we are!" Kat snorted, before remembering the present company and added mockingly, "Praetor." Unpleasantness was Kat's natural defense mechanism, so when presented with the potentially embarrassing situation of forgetting respect, she would make it worse.

I wasn't sure whether to volunteer for the quest or not. On one hand, I was terrified, sure I'd fought in two wars, but stranded with two other people and following the advice of a partially insane augur wasn't my idea of fun. But Kat would be going, and I would never let her get hurt. Ever.

I could sense the Senators considering Praetor Frank's words, and I was terrified. The Greek leaders didn't seem to have an opinion, but I knew that the Ambassador would sway the debate to fit his vision. It was him I was most worried about, because if he wanted, I would go on this suicide quest against my will. To be honest, I hated the Ambassador with a vengeance.

The Praetors locked eyes with eachother, I imagine their conversation went something like this:

Reyna: Neither of them are Centurions [she's always been a sucker for rules] and we need a Greek on the quest! They aren't going!

Frank: But-

Reyna: [I swear she almost growled] No.

"Praetor Zhang and I have come to a decision-"

The Ambassador interjected, "If I may-"

"Neeks, maybe you shouldn't," the golden eyed boy next to him said. I vaguely recognized him from somewhere.

"Thank you, Will," the Ambassador said frostily. "It is the Senate I address," he nodded respectfully toward the half-dressed Senators. "Maybe we should experiment. Forgive me for this, but the older Romans are so driven by rules and tradition that they have become robotic-"

I tuned out of his speech. One thing was clear. Unless I refused, I was going. It must have been ages before I payed attention again.

"Christina Flint, daughter of Triton, will you strive to save Rome from almost certain destruction?" Reyna scowled, I guess the debate didn't go her way.

My next words sent the room into confusion, I suppose what I said wasn't very Roman, "I'm going to have to decline."

Kat looked at me with something akin to betrayal in her eyes, I realized that she had already accepted. I'd let down my best friend and it wasn't even four in the morning.

**This is mostly a filler chapter, explaining how they get sent on a quest. Review!**


	3. And we Follow

**Thanks to Sammy 7300 for reviewing, check out their story 'Rise of the Earth'. It's brilliant. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO/HoO.**

_**TRIBUS**_

I tried for a winning smile.

It had been a day since Kat had last spoken to me. A day since she acknowledged my presence. Once, when I was trying to apologize, she just walked into me and carried on walking as if I wasn't there. Now it was time for her to leave for her quest, and the two people with her were Kai and Dan. I didn't trust her with two _Graeci_.

"_Don't_ smile at me," Kat growled, her brown eyes were alight with barely suppressed rage and her face was contorted into a snarl. "I will smile first to show you when it is _safe_ to smile."

"Are you cross?" I asked slowly. I was honestly afraid of what she was going to do. You see, Kat had reached the level of anger that I named the 'danger zone'. Everyone had danger zones, but the difference with Kat's was that instead of making her act rashly, it enhanced her abilities. Last time she reached her danger zone, a dozen people were sent to the infirmary within two hours [and she shouldn't have been proud of that].

"No," she said through gritted teeth. Then huffed. "Yes I am cross... I am _extremely_ cross!"

"Why?" I asked, realizing the stupidity of the question too late.

She was clenching and releasing her fists now, "_Why_?" She hissed, poking me in the chest. It hurt, and not just physically. "I'll tell you why!" She pulled back her jacket sleeve. There was the SPQR brand, but above it was another, brighter, pattern. It was the shape of a golden gladius crossing with a green trident. The sword's hilt had a ruby for a pommel and the points of the trident were tipped with sharpened sapphire. I felt my arm for the matching tattoo. "_This_," she continued, "means that we _always_ have eachother's backs! No matter what the cost to ourselves! We are _shield-sisters_! And we never, _ever_ abandon the other! Do you understand?"

I looked closer at her tattoo. Just in the corner was a thin red scar, it didn't quiet reach the picture and I knew it wasn't ink. "You were going to cut it?"

"Yes! That is how _cross_ I am!" She stormed away, her worn combat boots made a clacking sound against the smooth paving. She left me standing at the end of the tunnel that marked the edge of Camp, while she stomped off [yes, she did have a talent for dramatics].

I could just about make out one of her blond companions put an arm against her shoulders while she leaned into the embrace.

That was when I answered the question Praetor Reyna asked me last night in the Senate.

_Praetor, I would be honored to undergo this quest_.

_**I do have proof that this meeting took place, but my sources are probably bias. This is a rough interpretation of that meeting.**_

Neptune was pulled in his son, Triton. "Why didn't you stop her? You _know_ why three are chosen!"

Mars was changing between his Greek and Roman forms, but in both of them, he was gripping the arms of his throne and snarling at no-one in particular. As soon as he saw Triton, he grabbed the front of the merman's toga and shoved him against a column. Mars pointed a knife in Triton's face, making a small cut across his sharp cheekbone.

"Don't point that bloody knife at me!"

"I damn well will!" Mars roared, Jupiter could see his son merging with his Greek form. "_Your_ child has endangered _my_ daughter! You know _exactly_ why quests are limited to three! If I wasn't a better god I would-"

Triton pushed Mars away, his gray eyes flashed in challenge, "What? Hurt me? Go on then, hit me! In the face if it would make you feel better!"

"What?" The war god froze and lowered his dagger.

"Didn't you hear me? Hit me. In the face."

Mars frowned, the other gods could see his inner argument. On one hand, Mars respected courage and boldness, but Triton's child had endangered his daughter. Mars settled for slinking back to his throne, like a wounded lion, but not without grumbling, "I always hear 'hit me in the face' when you're talking, but it's usually subtext."

Neptune herded his son to the stone throne of the sea, Triton sat at the foot of the throne. "It's not like your daughter can die any more than she already has done," he muttered.

"What di-"

Jupiter took this moment to intervene, "Silence!" Lightening flashed behind the king of the Gods for effect.

"Drama Queen," Apollo muttered, changing to his Greek form. The other gods frowned at his 'Greekness'. Apollo shrugged and put in his earbuds, but the other gods didn't know that he wasn't listening to music. He hadn't ever listened to music in a council meeting. If he pretended to be uninterested, the rest of the Council wouldn't address him, giving Apollo more time to concentrate on what they were saying.

And with that, their exact phraseology.

Minerva glared at the sun god. He _never_ listened to what she was saying, and that was slightly heartbreaking (well, it was heartbreaking for her Greek form anyway). The schizophrenia that came with being a god was confusing, even for her. Minerva fixed Triton with a steely gray gaze. "I hope you realize the probable consequences of your child's actions."

Triton [Greek Triton mind, dad would never do this] mimed bashing his head against a wall. "Why, _why_ is it that whenever a demigod does something, it's the parent's fault? And vice versa, remember the Grace incident?" He scowled, with a pointed glare at the king and queen of the gods.

"That is irrelevant," Minerva snapped in clipped tones. "My son could _die_ because of your child's rash actions!" [Okay, that was Athena. Don't give me a speech on how you aren't Minerva's son so the person speaking was Athena. I mean, couldn't you have just said that?]

"She doesn't know!"

Mars fixed the son of the sea god with a glare that would have even the stupidest of people running. "Don't you think you ought to _tell_ it?"

"It's a her!"

Neptune, or Poseidon judging by the Hawaiian shirt, put a calming hand on his son's shoulder. "We know, Mars is just being unreasonable. _Isn't he_."

"No!"

Vulcan put down his project, "I think we should let what happens happen."

"My child could die!" Four gods yelled in harmony. Even Apollo, who had just blown his cover. Athena raised an elegant eyebrow at the sun god.

"What Hephaestus means is that the Christina girl chose to go on this quest for a reason. We can't interfere with the Morai," Venus [or Aphrodite] put in.

Jupiter frowned. He knew that if the sea-spawn went on the quest, one of the other three would be killed. If the hero that died was either the Apollo or Mars child, then Jupiter might have an uprising on his hands. It was entirely the king's choice, because most of the gods were swayed by his decisions. "All in favor of leaving the quest alone."

Jupiter raised his hand and watched as the majority of gods agreed with him. He wasn't all that surprised. "All in favor of taking the Sea-spawn back to its Camp."

Apollo, Athena, Mars and Neptune lifted their hands. But it didn't matter.

Triton ran his hands through his black hair. Should he have stopped his daughter? If she died, he would never forgive himself.

I could just about see three figures at the top of an old apartment building. Two blonds and a red-head. I had tried calling them, but they didn't seem to hear me.

I was standing at the bottom of an apartment complex that was built into the hillside- Kat, Dan and Kai were in top of the roof, the boys were fumbling with some rope, while Kat was keeping a look-out. I ducked inside the gray concrete slab's double doors just as she looked my way.

The inside was much more swish than the outside, a blood red carpet wound its way through the ground floor like a river of blood [ew, I'll stop with the metaphors now]. The walls were turquoise with golden skirting boards and a huge white staircase sat at the end of the hall. You would think that the owners would have tarted up the outside as well as the inside.

I kept a hand on my knife, my trident was too conspicuous so it was shoved in my backback in the form of barbecue tongs [long story involving Trivia kids, a goat and a punch in the face].

I froze.

_3_, I counted in my head.

There was something in the shadows.

_2_ seconds until the creature was on me.

It was coming closer.

_1_

I twirled around and put the point of my knife under the head of a brunette woman. She was probably about twenty with golden lipstick and black eyeshadow that made her look like an owl with a makeup addition. She was wearing a fluffy black sweater that faded into red at the sleeves and her round eyes were an odd yellow color.

My own eyes widened as I looked down at my knife then back at the woman, hoping against hope that she couldn't see through the Mist.

But when has my luck ever been good?

"Excuse me?" Her voice was low and melodic with a know-it-all tone, "is there a reason for you to threaten me?"

I felt my mouth drop open, then I closed it. "Threaten you with what?" I asked. I had never been a good liar, and I hadn't succeeded now.

"Well I hope you're aware that you are holding a dagger. _Demigod_."

The woman's gold mouth hardened into some kind of beak and talons split through her open-toed sandals. He sweater and arms turned into feathery wings, while her yellow eyes lost its pupil. Standing where the 'mortal' had been was a human-sized owl.

A s_trix_. In mythology the _striges_ had been a group of large owls that had sucked on the blood of its victims, a bit like a vampire. They lived in colonies.

Colonies.

Without thinking I lashed out and dispatched the owl/woman. It didn't even have time to shriek. It turned out it didn't need to.

I looked at the huge, white staircase, almost deciding to sprint up it. That would have been a mistake because at that moment dozens of the _striges_ poured down it in a flurry of feathers and claws.

The only way I could go was out of the front door. I thought that might have been a good idea, we Romans have never been good at fighting whilst outnumbered.

When I was outside I must have had only half a minute before the_ striges_ would kill me. Climbing the fifty foot building would be suicide (not to mention, impossible) because the monsters could fly.

But maybe I could outrun them. After all, birds fly because their legs are weird or something.

But if I ran, I would never catch Kat and the others.

I had ten seconds left. I looked around my surroundings frantically, there must be someway onto the roof without climbing. I could try to set fire to the building.

But then how would I get to Kat? Besides, I wasn't a child of Neptune, the sea wasn't strong enough in me to make me fireproof.

Then it hit me.

With a three second head start I started running up the fire escape. I had just past the first of the six floors when something grabbed my leg. One of the _strix_, either the fastest or the smartest, had already caught up with me. Ugly number 1's clawed hand was cutting into my ankle and uglies numbers 2-5 were catching up fast. I felt the familiar flash of head pain as the apartment's water system burst.

A wave of water washed down the stairs behind me, the white foam showed how fast it was moving. Uglies 1 through 5 were almost decapitated by the sheer force of the current. I kept running.

On floor three a talon sliced clean through my green hoodie, leaving me only in my thin purple t-shirt. I ignored it and kept running, some water droplets responded to my panic and swirled around my body. My knife was digging into my thigh from where I had sheathed it.

On floor four I had finally managed to slip my barbeque tongs from the carabener on my backpack. I snapped the sides together, the tongs turned into a trident in my hands. I jabbed it behind me just in time to skewer a _strix_.

I was on the roof, the _striges_ not too far behind. Near the top of the eighty foot cliff three figures were just climbing over the top. But that didn't matter to me, _I_ had to get away from the monsters.

I scrabbled for a handhold, I found a secure looking ledge and hauled myself up. But I wasn't high enough and the _striges_ could fly.

I felt a strong yank on my jean leg. I tried to shake the creature off but more just took its place. I could feel myself falling onto a pile of black feathers.

An ugly face loomed over me and a clawed foot rested on my chest.

**Tell me what you think.**


	4. And we Climb

**Hi peeps (a phrase which shall ne'er be uttered by me again)! Guess what! I got a Flame! I feel as though I've passed a rite of passage into fanfiction. I'm truly honored.**

**This week has been hectic. I had a PM from a lovely person proclaiming their undying love for me (kinda). I moved school. I had a birthday. I climbed a huge hill and drank tea on the top of it. All in all, very enjoyable.**

**On with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO/HoO**

* * *

_**QUATUOR**_

I choked on dust, without knowing exactly why [have you ever choked on monster dust? It's disgusting]. A wooden arrow with a bronze tip clattered beside me.

I leaped into action, grabbing my knife in one smooth move. I must have dropped my trident at some point and I couldn't very well hunt for it in the middle of a rabble of _striges_.

I did know who shot the arrow, but what I didn't know was how the questing group had seen me. But I couldn't concentrate on that now, we Romans were already _crap_ at solo fighting. I needed all of my brainpower [for lack of a better word] on the task at hand.

I ducked a claw and stumbled out of the way of another bird, bringing my knife up in a long slice, I cut the bird from stomach to beak. All in all, I was rather proud of my work. I stabbed the first _strix_ in the ribs.

I ducked behind another bird as arrows drizzled [there weren't enough for it to rain] and narrowly avoided being decapitated.

I heard an almost inaudible cry of, "get up here!"

I spotted my trident but had to leave it, I couldn't get to it and, even if I did, I wouldn't be able to deal with the extra weight. After I'd put my knife between my teeth, I found a handhold and hauled myself up, the people at the top of the cliff covering my escape.

When I was halfway up, approximately forty feet high, I slipped, my feet were dangling over the edge and I couldn't find a ledge to rest them on. To make matters worse, the shock of the slip had forced my right hand off the wall.

Okay, I focused my concentration on calming down, the thing that would most likely kill me would be the shock. Calm, calm, calm.

My mind pictured one of my favorite memories [I know that relaxing would make me fall, but it was my best chance]. Kat and I were sitting in one of New Rome's many gardens, I was liking a cherry flavored Popsicle and Kat was digging into some Skittles, when we saw the perfect opportunity to photo-bomb one of the more... traditional Senators. We were running away down Pertinax Road when I realized that my crush on Kat wasn't so trivial and that I would actually _die_ to save her.

I felt a wave of cool wash over me, my muscles relaxed slightly and I wasn't so tense. But using that time meant that my arm was weak. Like _really_ weak.

I tried hauling myself up, but stopped as my arm turned to jelly. I was just about ready to let go and plummet, when a spurt of water fell inches from me.

"Left a bit!" I heard a call from above me. I looked up, only to get a huge splash of water in my face. Gradually, strength began to pour into my limbs. It wasn't much, but it was just enough to pull my arm up and scramble back onto the rock face.

After what felt like ages of 'not far now' repeating in my head like a mantra, I collapsed on the top and almost fell back down the slope if not for the tanned, callused hand hauling me up by the arms. My gray eyes connected with Kat's brown ones. _She has pretty eyes_, I though deliriously. I accidentally let out a giggle.

Kat wasn't amused. She scowled at me, an ugly frown marring her handsome features. _She was very handsome_, I mused. Kat's strong jaw was set, as if she was trying to stop herself from biting my head off. "What the _Pluto_ are you doing here?" She hissed, grabbing me by the collar.

"Whoa! Stop!" A melodic male voice soothed, it was that Apollo kid, whatshisname [no interruptions]. "Calm down, Kit-Kat."

She rounded on... Kai! That was his name! "Don't call me that!" Kat turned back to me, "and _you_! You are _not_ meant to be here! You could have been _killed_!"

She dropped me and sent me one last death-glare before storming away into a foresty area. She punched a large tree and I'm pretty sure it cracked. I breathed out. "That went well."

"I'll say," Kai snorted. His sky blue eyes looked at me questioningly, "what _are _you doing here, if you don't mind me asking?"

I explained the events last night in the Senate, how the stupid Ambassador tried to manipulate me into going on a suicide quest. Though, I should probably say that I painted myself in a better light than I should have done. Instead of telling him about my cowardice, I said that I valued embarrassing the Ambassador more than Kat.

While I was talking, Kai looked at me as though he was trying to separate truth from lies. Finally, he seemed to buy my story. I frowned, "how did you know I was in trouble?"

"Yeah, a dark haired girl in a bright green sweater coming from the direction of Camp is kinda conspicuous. Kat spotted a weird shape, I came over and saw it was you. You know the rest."

I hummed as he guided me to the forest that Kat had disappeared into. I think the trees were pines and oaks, but I wasn't too sure. After about ten minutes, we came to a small clearing with a small stream going down one side. In the middle of the grass and leaves, were two tents. One was orange canvas with 'CAMP HALF BLOOD OWNS YOUR FACES' scrawled on the side with sharpie, I wrinkled my nose in distaste. The other was purple leather with SPQR embroidered on it with gold thread.

"You'll be sleeping in Kat's tent tonight. We'll send you back to Camp J in the morning."

I looked at the sky, the sun was beginning to set. "I don't think you understood me earlier," I said pointedly. "I'm coming with you."

"Sure you are," Kai clapped me on the back and left the clearing.

I collapsed on the grass, the surge of strength the water gave me had started leaving me. I fell asleep hoping that it would be peaceful.

Turns out I was wrong.

* * *

_I floated above a huge sand dune. There weren't any cities for miles judging by the lack of air pollution. It was night-time, but the coolness of the night and the abundance of sand told me I was in the desert. The wind was so dry, my skin felt like paper._

_At the bottom of the dune were two figures. They didn't seem to notice me, it wasn't surprising. This was a demigod dream._

_I couldn't make out the two figures exactly, but they seemed to be human. Staring harder, I could see that the shorter, but still quite tall, one had sun-kissed blond hair and a killer-watt smile, like sunshine caught in rows of perfect teeth. The other was very tall and slender, he had salt-and-pepper hair and a calculating gaze. I couldn't see his face very well, but there were several long scars covering his face and one of his eyes looked weird... let's just say I was glad I couldn't see him closer._

"_Are you sure they'll come, sir?" Said the teeth-whitener-guy, his accent told me he was southern. I knew his voice from somewhere..._

_The other regarded him carefully, telling me that blondie was probably _very_ important to the scratchy-face-dude. "I'm sure. Have I _ever_ been wrong before?"_

"_No, sir." So scratchy-face-dude was a _god_? If he was, wouldn't he be able to fix his face?_

"_We must make sure the War-child is unharmed. Do you understand what I want you to do, child?"_

"_Yes, sir."_

"_Set off before dawn, the quicker this happens, the faster."_

_Blondie turned to the dune, as if he expected a door to appear._

"_Child?"_

"_Yes, sir?_

"_Steer clear of the male praetor for a while. He may suspect someone works for me," the god chuckled, "not that they know who 'me' is."_

_Blondie looked at me with hauntingly familiar golden eyes. They narrowed. "Sir-"_

* * *

I woke up with my heart racing. My fist lashed out of its own accord, it connected with something solid.

"Shit!" Kai stumbled backwards, clutching his bleeding nose. "What the fuck?"

"Oh gods!" I stumbled to my feet. "I'm so sorry! Where's your unicorn drink?"

His brows rose into his hairline. "You make drinks out of unicorns?"

"Just the horn," I explained. "Kat should have brought some."

Kai shoved his hands into his pocket, searching for something. He took out a zip-lock bag of lemon cakes. Wondering what the heck they were meant to do, I had no choice but to watch as he shoved one in his mouth. I winced as cartilage cracked into place, and Kai's nose righted itself. He wiped off the blood with a tissue and grinned at my stunned expression.

"What-"

"Ambrosia. It tastes of whatever calms you. For me, it's my mom's homemade dahl."

"But it's a lemon bar!" A cake tasting of spiced vegetable stew? These Greeks were delusional.

"No. It's Ambrosia." He said in a would-be 'duh' tone if not for his face splitting smirk.

When Kat, Kai and the Minerva [Athena] kid, Dan, were in the same place, I told them about my dream. Kai didn't seem to be listening, he was staring dreamily at Kat. I didn't like Kai anymore. Kat was glaring daggers into me, and Dan was nodding along with my story. After I'd finished, Dan spoke, "come on, you two. This proves that she's supposed to come."

"She was merely in the right place at the right time," Kat sneered.

"I agree with Kit-Kat.," Kai piped up.

Dan raised an eyebrow. "Why is that, I wonder?" He said dryly.

I felt like I was back at the Senate Hall, people judging you and deciding whether you were good enough to do something. It must have been ten whole minutes before the three stopped communicating telepathically [I wondered if anyone was going to tell them it doesn't work], and regarded me.

"Word to the wise, you shouldn't ogle people like that," I said, trying to defuse the tension, "it's creepy."

Kat scowled at the foliage on the ground while Dan half-smiled at me. "Come on, guys. She could be useful."

I glowered at him, I _was_ a person! At his pointed 'shut-up' look, I swallowed my protests. It was now obvious what he was trying to do. Kai was already beginning to see his point, "I suppose you're right."

Kat, though was harder to manipulate. "She didn't want to go last night, so I don't see why she wants to go now."

"Because she regrets leaving you!" I yelled. "Kat, I betrayed you and I'm sorry, and I know you shouldn't forgive me. But now I realize that '_nescio quid opus est opus tueri quam amicum_'. Remember, it's the quote around our tattoos. I promised to protect you, and you can't prevent me from doing that, even if you throw me in a sack and throw me into the Little Tiber." I dug around in my rucksack until I found the packet I was looking for. I threw her a bag of 'Dark Side Skittles', the same flavor as the ones on the day we photo-bombed the Senator.

Kat raised her chin towards me, and stormed away to her tent. Halfway there, she paused, and turned her head back. "One strike and you're out, Flint."

As I fell asleep that night, I could only think of how she accepted the sweets.

**Can anyone guess the villain? I have ****_so_**** many plot twists planned and I am very excited.**

**Don't forget to review, I'd love to know what you think.**


	5. And we Fight (again)

**I haven't got anything to say, so on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I'm disclaiming.**

_**QUINQUE**_

"Anyway, when I was eight, a Montgomery Ward delivery van ran over our family cat, Lucky." Dan said, taking a bite out of his granola bar. It was the morning now and Kat seemed to have forgiven me. I mean, she wasn't trying to kill me or anything, so I figured I was fine.

Kat frowned, "Lucky?" She asked. I hid a snigger at her expression, her eyebrows were knitted together and her mouth was pulled into a mix of a smirk and a scowl. She was dressed in a purple shirt and worn jeans. Her camouflage backpack was over her shoulders and the SPQR tent was stuffed hastily inside.

"Yes, Lucky." Dan answered impatiently. He was dressed much the same as Kat, but he had wire-rimmed glasses pushed up his nose and an orange t-shirt.

Kai laughed him off, turning to Kat and talking as though sharing a secret, "he's irony-impaired. Just move on."

"Okay, dead cat named Lucky. Continue." Kat said with a barely straight face, unconsciously leaning toward the son of Apollo. I glowered at them. I wouldn't let the _Graecai_ corrupt my Kat. Even after a few days of knowing the Greeks, Kat was becoming less and less Roman.

"So, my dad being your generic nerd-"

"And you're not?"

"Point taken. So my dad, being much smarter than everyone else, decided to place Lucky's remains in a canoe and set them on fire."

"As you do." Kat laughed [I only refrain from saying 'giggle' because Kat doesn't- didn't- _giggle_]. I admit, giving a dead cat a viking funeral was weird..

"You can't talk! Remember the Great Jenga Tantrum of 2012?" I poked her in the ribs.

"You bumped the table and you know it," Kat said sharply, but without bite. Her eyes were crinkled up and her face was flushed. She rested her head on Kai's shoulder, I sent the boy a poisonous glare. He waved at me.

Bastard.

Dan glanced at the sky. It was a clear morning, the only clouds were wisps of smoke in the air. "Come on, guys, we've been here long enough."

Last night we had talked about my dream, well, it was mostly Dan and I. Kat was _still_ sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with Kai while _he _made even _more_ mushy faces at her.

Dan agreed that my description of the gold-eyed boy rang a bell, but, like me, he couldn't place the person. The man with the torn up face, however, was completely unfamiliar.

To add to those problems, the only lead we had was that our enemy was in the desert. That would be helpful if deserts didn't take up, like, a third of Earth. We also had no idea _who_ we were looking for, though a huge sign saying 'LOOK AT ME I'M EVIL' would be helpful.

Kat thought that we should find out where these people were based, then storm the place. Dan had pointed out many flaws with her plan, but after a death-glare, he'd gotten the hint to shut the hell up.

Kai tapped his fingers sporadically against his bronze knife. He'd stopped getting all cosy with Kat, so I assumed he was terrified of me. Hah, in my dreams.

I looked at him one last time, making sure that my glare setting was on 'maximum scary'. When I caught his eye, he smiled and nodded at me. Actually, he didn't smile, he had that knowing smirk that you get when someone knows something you don't.

"Are we there yet?" Kai grumbled. He was twirling an arrow expertly in his fingers. Dan had said that we go to the nearest city to find a world atlas so we can map out the possible locations of the scratchy-face-dude and his accomplice.

"Not since you asked two minutes ago." Kat teased him. The two of them were becoming cringe-worthily buddy-buddy. Kat was _my_ best friend and some arrogant Greek wasn't going to take her from me.

Dan mimed hurling behind their backs. For someone who was always calm and in control, he sure could be immature. But I can't talk, I was joining in. Sometimes being at the back of the group has its advantages.

Tripping over a large tree root that splayed out like claws, I almost stabbed myself with my long knife that I'd taken out. We were four demigods, surely we would get attacked soon.

The tree above me, the one with the finger-like roots, creaked. I hurried after the rest of the group, that tree could fall on me any minute.

I reached Dan, who was several feet behind the other two. Dan glanced back at me, his dove-gray eyes widened until I thought they would pop. Faster than thought, he drew a leaf-shaped sword. But even then, he was too slow, before I could register what was happening, I was shoved out of the way and a slicing sound came from above my head.

I looked up; a brown, moss covered head with teeth the size of my forearm was raised to strike me. I rolled out of the way and cut through it's neck. But the dagger only cut it halfway, even then, it should have killed it.

That was when I looked around. Kat was engaged in a deadly dance with three heads, her _gladius_ shone even in the dim light as it sliced clean through one of the heads. Kai had scrambled up a tree, sniping at the monster with his arrows- kinda like Katniss Everdeen, but blonder. I couldn't see Dan, he must have been behind the monster's equally hideous body fighting the other heads.

It's legs were tree trunks and the five- six- no, _seven_ heads were the branches. It explained how we didn't see it coming.

I dodged as a head slammed down. The ground seemed to tremble. I cut off its head in two [well, almost two] though some sinew and muscle remained, connecting the head to the body.

"No! Don't!" I heard Dan yell. "Don't cut off its heads! It's a hydra!"

I looked to see Kat grasping her sword that was embedded in one of the hydra's necks, like mine, it hadn't completely decapitated it. But my vision tunneled to the thing behind her. It was one of the hydra's necks, but instead of one head, it had two. Kat stiffened, evidently aware of it. She let go of her sword and took a deep breath, as if preparing for something painful.

The heads loomed over her, casting a long shadow. I ran to her but was stopped by yet _another_ head. Around my duel, I saw Kat flex her fingers, the hydra opened its mouth and without warning, it bit down. It was about to reach Kat-

The next time I was able to look, Kat was standing, wincing, with her hand _stabbing through_ the hydra's neck. I didn't see anything else because the head I was battling bit down on my arm.

I screamed swear words that would have made a sailor blush. An arrow hit the monsters face, but I didn't pay any attention to its return to Tartarus. See, my arm was going green.

For the third time in three days, I blacked out.

When I woke up again, my arm was more of a pleasant mint color that the olive from before. It was swelled up, but rapidly deflating.

I was lying with my head on a rather uncomfortable log, a huge brown mushroom inches from my face. The sun was shining through the leaves, bathing the forest in an eerie, green glow.

Someone was beside me. I looked- it was Kat. He hands were slightly red tinged for some reason. Then it hit me

Hydra. Kat. Hand.

"You okay?" I asked, my voice slurring slightly. "Your fist was in a monster. You have any broken bones?"

Kat pursed her lips. "No." She said shortly, "I guess I was lucky."

"No you weren't." I snapped, the sound of my voice was less croaky now. "What are you hiding? Is it something do to with... you know... _Oliver_?"

I didn't know much about Kat's past and I never questioned her about it. All I knew was that onher way to Camp, she was with a son of Janus named Oliver. He died. I knew the signs of when she was thinking of him, her eyes would darken, her brow would furrow and she would look close to tears. In other words, exactly as she did now.

Kat seemed startled at my question. "No."

I sent her a 'look'.

"No," she repeated. Kat stood and brushed off her jeans. "Dan's scouting ahead. I'm going to check on Kai, fixing your arm really exhausted him."

I pushed myself into a sitting position with my strong arm. Kai was resting on a rock, Kat was sitting next to him, whispering animatedly.

It was weird. Kat was completely at ease talking to a Greek. Even I, who had no qualms whatsoever with the Greeks, couldn't be friendly with one without feeling as though I was betraying the Legion.

Footsteps sounded from my right. My eyes snapped over to the noise. Jogging towards us was Dan in all his slightly-singed glory. Seriously, his white-blond hair was a few inches shorter than I remembered and the ends were black and charred. "I went round in a circles, right back to that apartment complex. But on the plus side, I found this." He held up a trident. _My_ trident.

I held out my hand and made grabbing motions with them. "Gimme gimme gimme!"

Dan raised a dark eyebrow. His face was odd, it was all pale and cheekbony. And his _eyebrows_! They were black! But his hair was blond [I'm not _trying _to insult you]! "I take it that this is yours."

"Yes, now gimme!"

"No." Dan smirked, waving the trident at me.

"What?" I stumbled to my feet. "It's mine!"

"Really?"

I smirked, there was a water bottle behind him. And the top was unscrewed. I pulled out a small trickle and watched, satisfied, as it slithered into his ear. Dan smiled innocently as it didn't affect him. "Earplugs, Squirtle."

Damn it! Though, if he knew about Pokemon, he must be relatively awesome. I myself hadn't played in _years_. But how was he able to hear- he could read lips. Damn him to hell!

I stomped towards him, still wobbling a bit even though it was my arm, not my leg, that was hurt. I plucked my trident out of his hands and deactivated it. I put the barbeque tongs/deadly weapon in my jacket pocket. Or _Kat's_ jacket's pocket, I'd lost my hoodie with the _striges_.

I mock-glared at Dan while I went back to sitting on my rock.

Maybe the Greeks weren't _too_ bad. Undisciplined, but not too bad.


	6. And we Meet

**Chapter 6! It has occurred to me that nothing much has happened for the past chapters and I want to finish this story quickly. I don't own PJO/HoO**

**Enjoy**

_**Six**_

Okay, so maybe playing tag with a sixty thousand pound Underworld creature wasn't one of my better ideas.

"Kat!" I screamed, hurdling over a short, wooden bench. "If I die, I'm gonna take it _very_ personally!"

In my defense, it was entirely Kat's fault that I was running away from a freakin' massive dog. It was _her_ decision to cut straight through Condover instead of going _around_ the potentially monster-infested town. Correction- the _definitely_ monster-infested town.

We'd voted on it. Kai agreed with Kat [shocker] and I felt like I _had_ to agree with Kat. She was my best friend after all. And now, Dan wasn't talking to me. Stupid Greek.

I was getting some strange looks from the townsfolk, but I guess if you saw a girl with a crown of leaves and twigs and thorns running from a creature that they probably thought was a duck or something, yelling that she was going to die... well, you would be confused.

This hellhound was much larger than any others I'd fought. All the others had been no larger than pick-up trucks. This one was more than twice the size of that. I ran over the top of a communal pond [and I've just realized that that sounds like a toilet] and waited at the other end for the hellhound to walk around. I snapped my barbeque tongs, the familiar weight of my trident in my arms, the leather grip soft in my hands.

I couldn't see Kat, doubtless she didn't notice that I had disappeared as soon as she left the restroom. She was probably curled up to that Apollo spawn, forgetting that she was ever a proper Roman.

RAAAWR! [or something].

I held out my trident, perpendicular but tilted up, shoulders squared and a not-very-scary snarl on my face. When the black wall of shadowy fur ran at me, I waited until the last moment do spin out of the way like a matador. It charged again, this time, I just held out my trident. The hellhound skewered itself.

_Clap. Clap. Clap._ I kept my weapon out and turned to the sarcastic sound.

The boy walking towards me stood with more weight on his left foot than on his right, and when he took a step toward me, he walked with a slight limp. He held his chin high as he studied me with honey colored eyes. I recognized him, he was the killer-watt-smile guy from my dreams [no! Not that kind of dream!].

But he was also from somewhere else, and now I could see the whole of his (very handsome) face, I knew where I'd seen him before. He healed Kat in the medical tent after the Giant War. He made the Ambassador laugh in the Senate House. What did the Ambassador call him? Something beginning with 'W'?

"I'm not here to kill you, so you can put _that_ away." He frowned at my trident.

I scowled. "Your bow says otherwise." I pointed at the wooden bow and quiver that were slung across his back. He shrugged off the weapons and layed them on the ground.

"Your turn."

I did the same. "Why are you here, _Graecus_?" I think he was Kai's brother, but I couldn't be sure. There were probably a lot of really hot dudes with gold eyes and blond hair… oh screw it. Kai's brother was evil.

'W' waved his hands over his white t-shirt. "Peace mission." He focussed on a spot just over my shoulder. He cursed, then muttered something inaudible.

I didn't want to turn my back on 'W', but even so, I had a pretty good idea of who was behind me. My suspicions were confirmed when Kai's voice said, "Will?"

Will's fingers tapped against his sides and his lips were pressed together. He settled for a small wave at his brother. "Hey."

Kat stepped into my peripheral vision, flicking her head between Kai and Will like she was watching an interesting tennis match. What worried me was that Will was watching her too. And not in the 'hey you're really pretty, wanna get burgers' way. More like the 'hmm, you are central to my world-domination plans' way.

"So." Kai started with a hint of relief. "They sent you to help us? Good thing too, I suck at healing."

Will smiled ruefully, running a hand through his hair. "Well, kinda. Depends on what you call help."

I turned my head left, now that the others were here I could look around. Dan was standing beside me, he shook his head ever so slightly. I had no idea why until I turned to Kat. She was glaring holes through Will.

"Kai, don't listen to him." Kat said, her voice jumping a little. She hid it with a cough. "He's a traitor."

Will smiled. "I'm hurt." His words and actions seemed robotic, as if he were playing a part in a play.

"With the greatest of respect to your delicacy of feeling, may we please return to the real issue here." It seemed a habit of Dan's to use overly long sentences when he was nervous. His breathing was sporadic, I could hear it from here. "Who do you work for."

"You don't need to know." Will answered curtly. His easygoing demeanor was gone and in its place was an intelligent speaker. He'd given absolutely nothing away about anything, apart from the fact that he was protective of Kai. And even that could be an act. "All you need to know is that she-"

"He." I interrupted. "I saw your boss in a dream."

"I thought someone was there." Will murmured. "_He_ wants to meet you." His eyes lingered on Kat, if she noticed, she didn't show it. Will dug around in his jeans pocket, until he brought out a ring. the ring was beautiful, a twisted loop of silver with a small sapphire in the centre. "This will guide you to my boss. You've got twelve hours to decide. Once you've decided, say the name of Epimetheus' brother, and that will activate it."

With that, he picked up his bow and quiver, then strolled away as if nothing ever happened. I scowled at his retreating back.

The motel we stayed in was not ideal, but it was all we could afford. One room for one person. Seeing as _Kai_ forget the mortal money when he, Kat and Dan left Camp, he was sent busking. After many on-the-spot parodies of Disney songs, he'd finally collected enough money for this crappy room. I had been sent to buy the room, whilst the others sneaked round the back and crept through the window.

Kat munched on the obligatory packet of dry, motel biscuits. Dan was in the restroom, at one point my eardrums nearly burst when he found a spider in the sink. I flopped back on the bed, counting the cracks in the ceiling, the smell of cheap, garage sandwiches came from Kai's corner of the room. He was grilling them with some kind of sunshine power of his.

"Catch, Squirtle." Kai tossed me my cheese and ham sandwich, his grilling gave it an unpleasant metallic taste. I decided not to point this out.

The toilet flushed and Dan came out white faced. "So many spiders." His salad sandwich box hit him in the face.

After our food, I pulled Kat into the bathroom, unaware of how it looked to the other two. I leaned on the door, eyebrows pushed together. "We need to talk."

Kat raised an eyebrow from where she was perched on the toilet seat. "About what?"

"You know what." Seeing her (fake) blank expression, I humored her. "The hydra. You pushed your fingers right through it's neck like you were Wolverine! But look," I took her fingers in my hand, "they're completely normal. What the _Pluto _is going on?"

"Turning your body into a weapon is a normal power for Mars chil-"

"No it isn't." I took a breath to calm myself. "Kat. What's going on."

"I'm dead."

**This is a short chapter because I couldn't resist the ending. Review because I don't want to resort to the 'I won't update until I get several hundred reviews'.**

**(BLOOD OF OLYMPUS IS OUT! I read it yesterday and there are sooo many loose ends!)**


End file.
